Deadline arrives to request an absentee ballot for Georgia midterms
The last day to request an absentee ballot in Georgia is Friday, leaving voters 11 days until Election Day to receive and return their ballots.
Already, 131,000 voters have returned their absentee ballots to county election offices. That leaves another 127,000 ballots that are still in voters’ hands or in the mail. About 1.25 million voters have cast ballots in person at early voting locations.
Georgia’s voting law last year set the absentee deadline two Fridays before Election Day to help allow enough time for ballots to be mailed to and from voters. Previously, voters could request absentee ballots until the Friday before an election.
Absentee ballots are only counted if they’re received at county election offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day on Nov. 8.
To request an absentee ballot, voters can fill out an absentee application online, print it out, sign it and return it. Ballot applications can be submitted online, by email to your county elections office, or by mail.
Election officials say voters should ensure enough time for ballots to be returned through the mail. Drop boxes, which must be located inside early voting locations, close the Friday before Election Day under Georgia’s voting law.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
